The refereeing decisions from the recent Madrid derby remain the focus of debate in Spain after Real’s 2-1 defeat by Atletico.
Referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias sent off Dean Huijsen early in the first half, and all three goals in the match were scored after the dismissal. Atletico went on to win the game 2-1.
The officials’ decisions came under further scrutiny late in the opening period when Lee Kang-in was not shown even a yellow card following a forceful confrontation with Federico Valverde.
A series of subsequent reviews unanimously concluded that the South Korea international should also have been sent off.
Real players and staff made their dissatisfaction clear during and after the match. Head coach Jose Mourinho took printed screenshots to his news conference, highlighting incidents in which he believed the referee had made decisions in Atletico’s favour.
The controversy has continued to dominate discussion in Spain, with the match now viewed through the lens of the contrasting disciplinary decisions involving Huijsen and Lee Kang-in.
Mourinho’s side are fourth in the La Liga table, with 15 points from their opening seven matches.